Music in the Darkness
Christine climbed into the boat with Raoul again and disappeared from sight for the final time…
Erik awoke with his night terror already receding to the unknown regions of his mind. But he no longer had to struggle to remember it. Oh no, he remembered it vividly. His beloved left him again, this time never again to return…
But a simple glance at his hand held the answer. His golden wedding band shimmered in the candlelight, and another glance to his left chased away all doubt. Christine, his beloved, lay there in her angelic glory, her face alight with the shadows of the flickering light. All too soon Erik would have to wake up his love and let her go for a little while. She must attend her rehearsals and the carriage would have to travel far and fast to the Opera House.
Erik had held true to his promise to take his love where none could ever find her, oh he would allow them to see her, but none could ever know where she lived or with whom she lived. They all believed him to be gone, like the last traces of his nightmares. They all rejoiced at the thought of his death, like a weight lifted off of their shoulders. But if they only knew! He would have surprised even Mme Giry! No one had known of his hidden wealth, or of his vast resources! He had hidden until he had enough to go and collect his Angel.
He gently shook Christine
awake and helped her prepare for the long day of rehearsals.
He
rode in the carriage with her, but didn't leave at the same time.
The carriage went to the back of the Opera house and delivered him
next to the chapel.
He was not going to miss the chance to hear his Angel sing at her first performance without Carlotta or those idiots who ran his theatre prior!
Christine
Her Erik was there! She felt him! He was somewhere above, watching and listening to her. Well, she could not fail him! She sang with every ounce of her being, and her voice swelled high above the crystal chandelier to the place where her beloved sat listening.
Unfortunately, someone she had never wanted to think of again also heard her and with the sound of her voice came back the Vicomte de Changy, awoke in him the same desire and want he had felt before.
Raoul
Christine. Gone again. Christine, HIS Christine curtseyed gracefully and glided off stage, the remnants of her voice still heard echoing high above the chandelier. His fiancée was taken from him cruelly the first time and he would not let it happen again! He would hunt down whoever had taken her from him and murder him! He would then take his prize and hide her away in an ivory tower! No one would be allowed near her. Her voice, her beautiful voice would belong to him and him alone!
She went with him willingly the first time and believed that he had LOVED her. HER, the scornful rat of society! He loved her VOICE. Her voice, so high and beautiful, like angels harps. He Would have her voice and would not lose it again!
Christine
She saw him sitting in the seat; saw him lean forward to watch her performance like some horrible vulture, stalking its prey. She finished her song and left the stage quickly, not wanting to be under that terrible stare any longer. She forgot about the eyes of her angel, not knowing he saw every fearful glance she sent to Raoul. She scurried off stage in an effort to mask her fear, hoping no one would notice the tears starting in her eyes.
She ran to her dressing room, avoiding all and anyone possible, and quickly changed to await the carriage that would be arriving to whisk her back to the love and the sense of security of Erik.
Erik
Erik felt within a well of emotion. How dare he? He had been warned once before to never come here again! Disobedience would not be tolerated. He would rid of the rat and be done with it!
As he came to this decision, the Vicomte disappeared from sight. Worried now about Christine, he descended rapidly to the ground level, and lay in wait for he carriage that would take him to her.
Christine
She fought with all of her strength against the strong which held her to him. She tried to scream, to call out to her Angel, but to no avail. The Vicomte put his hand over his mouth and told her not to cry out again, for the consequences would be dire.
As she was shoved
into the carriage, only half a block away from where her Angel was
becoming anxious, and was gagged with the Vicomtes own lightly
scented handkerchief.
Unbeknownst to either Christine, or Raoul,
her plain gold wedding band fell lightly to the street and fell in
front of the chapel, the ring that her Angel had given her when she
came back that wonderful night, a few months ago….
She had realized her mistake almost a week later. She had wondered why Raoul had kept her in a different room, and locked the door at night, when he thought her to be asleep. He had made her sing time and time again, but never said a word of encouragement. She had finally figured it out when he had backhanded her cruelly across the face for being the least bit flat on a note. She had awoken from her clouded stupor then, and saw her grave mistake and what it was costing her, and the man she really loved.
She had escaped through a window, and had run for her life. She reached the cemetery somehow and there before her fathers grave, sat her Angel, her beautiful Angel, weeping and cursing himself and praying to her for forgiveness. She had walked gently up behind and began to sing, she sang a song without words, and yet in it were all of dreams and loves. She sang for her Angel and for her father. After she finished she hugged her Angel, and he had given her the gold wedding band. She had taken off her diamond and flung it as far from her as she could.
Then her Angel had taken back to the Opera House and let her rest, then she approached the new managers and asked for a audition. At first, they absolutely refused, but she began to sing regardless, and had blown them away and became a lead soprano….